Sweet Seaweed Salad

Since I've clearly been slacking off lately in the healthy cooking department I've decided to outsource, so a big thank you to the creator of this guest recipe- Eva! This girl is seriously fit, plus she claims this dish smells like candy! So ya, I'll have what she's having!

Simple, sweet and healthy- what more could you ask for in a recipe?! Make a little and have it for a snack, or make a lot and have it for a meal! Eva's sweet seaweed salad consists of...
- seaweed
- avocado
- mango
- canned corn
- walnuts
- baby spinach
- sesame seed oil
- sugar
- salt
- vinegar
- red chili pepper

How to make this:
1. Soak seaweed in a bowl of warm water for 5-7 minutes, drain the water and pat dry with paper towel. Cut as desired.
2. Slice (or dice) up avocado and mango.
3. Drain the canned corn.
4. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!

Suggestions to make this even healthier: This recipe is pretty healthy as is, but if you could spare the flavour, try cutting out the sugar and salt. Or maybe try adding some quinoa!

Asparagus Fries

Another collaborative experiment with Ellie that really paid off! And don't let the name fool you- these are actually baked, not fried!

A healthier and crunchier take on the original, these asparagus fries make a great appetizer, side, or snack! Very simple to prepare and make, all you will need are...
- asparagus spears
- flour
- egg
- panko bread crumbs
- salt
- veggie spray

How to make it:
1. Chop the icky ends off the asparagus and rinse them with water.
2. Roll your asparagus spears in flour.
3. Beat an egg into a shallow bowl, then egg wash your asparagus.
4. Coat your asparagus in panko bread crumbs, covering as much of the asparagus as possible.
5. Sprinkle with salt and spray with veggie spray.
6. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Suggestions to make this even healthier: Try skipping the salt to reduce the sodium!

And for a little extra flavour, try dipping your asparagus fries in lemon or chipotle aioli, or just some good old ketchup!

Quinoa Portobello Burgers

How lucky I am to have a friend like Ellie who can not only help me bring my crazy food ideas to life, but make them taste (and look) as good as they sound! This one may have been a big experimental risk- but the higher the risk, the bigger the reward! This may also have been one of my healthiest endeavours yet, which makes it all the more impressive that it was also one of the tastiest. So without further adue, may I present to the interweb, Quinoa Portobello Burgers!

They're a little heavy on the ingredients and the prep, but trust me it is well worth it! Our version contains...

- chick peas

- sweet potato

- quinoa (we used a mix of red and white)

- portobello mushroom caps 

- onion

- garlic

- celery

- carrots

- cumin

- chili powder

- salt

- pepper

- parsley

- mixed greens 

- cucumber

- alfalfa sprouts

- panko bread crumbs

- spicy mayo (we used a homemade version)

- cooking spray

- goat cheese

How to make it: 

1. Cook your quinoa by putting it in a pot with twice the amount of water, bringing it to a boil and letting it simmer until all the water is absorbed.

2. Dice and puree sweet potato, chick peas, onion, celery and carrots, then mix in the cooked quinoa, spices and some chopped parsley. 

3. Before pan frying your quinoa patties, coat in panko bread crumbs for some added crunch.

4. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, spray your portobello caps with cooking spray, sprinkle on some salt and pepper and cook for about 7 minutes.

5. Remove portobello cap buns from the oven, spread on some spicy mayo, and top your quinoa patties with mixed greens, slices of cucumber, onion slivers, alfalfa sprouts, and, of course, goat cheese (my favourite guilty pleasure)!

Suggestions to make it even healthier: Remove spicy mayo and goat cheese to make this recipe 100% vegan (although in my opinion it's much tastier with)!

Veggie and Rice Stuffed Peppers

This is a perfect vegetarian meal, however it is quite time consuming, so I would recommend saving this one for a night where you have a lot of time and patience. I usually like to make it on the weekends in batches of 4,  eat one and refrigerate the rest. They can be easily re-heated and eaten later in the week!

My recipe contains...

- red peppers

- yellow peppers

- green peppers

- asparagus

- carrots

- onion

- pine nuts

- rice

- olive oil

- curry powder

- cinnamon

- basil

- cheese 

How to make it:

1. Bring a pot with 2 cups of water to a boil, add 1 cup of rice and let simmer on low for 20 minutes (this will fill up to 4 peppers).

2. Chop up the carrots, green pepper, asparagus and onion (or whatever vegetables you choose to use).

3. Sautee veggies and pine nuts in a pan with olive oil and spice to preference (I like to use a combination of curry powder, cinnamon, and a pinch of basil).

4. Mix veggies, nuts and spices into the rice. Sprinkle in a little cheese for a creamier texture. Set rice mixture aside.

5. Cut the tops off your peppers (I chose to use a combination of red and yellow) and hollow out.

6. Put hollowed out peppers into a pot, fill the pot with water so that the peppers are covered in water. Bring peppers to a boil then let simmer on low for 10 minutes. 

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and fill peppers with rice mixture. 

8. Place peppers on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 45. Let cool, then dig in!

Suggestions to make this even healthier: Try adding cubes of tofu for added protein, or replacing the rice with quinoa! 

A tip for speeding up the process: If you can prepare the filling in advance, it will definitely save you some time!

Greek Quinoa

This was the first of what I hope will be many collaborative efforts with my dear friend Ellie, and also my first time cooking and eating quinoa! Quinoa has quickly become the hottest trend in food and cooking, so I'm sure this will be my first of many quinoa recipes.

Quinoa is kind of like the love-child of rice and oats. It's a great source of vitamins, minerals, iron and protein, so it's perfect for vegan or vegetarian diets, or someone like me who just doesn't eat red meat. Not only is it super nutritious, but it's easy to prepare and can be easily integrated into almost any dish! Our Greek version consists of...
- quinoa
- green pepper
- cucumber
- red onion
- feta
- kalamata  olives
- homemade Greek dressing

How to make it:
1. Add twice as much water than quinoa to a pot, bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer until all the water is absorbed (roughly 10 minutes).
2. While your quinoa is cooking, cut up green pepper, cucumber, red onion and feta into chunks (as it is a Greek quinoa, you may also want to add tomatoes- I just don't because I don't like them).
3. Chop up your olives and remove the pits.
4. Put everything into a bowl, add dressing and mix. Done!

Suggestions to make this even healthier: Not only is this healthier, but it's easier too- try skipping the dressing and just adding a splash of lemon juice!

Have a little as a side dish and save some for later, or a have a bowl-full to make it a meal! Super simple! A dish well worth the minimal effort.